This is a great Instructable, but you need to add a main image of the final project to the intro step. Please do that and leave me a message when you have so that we can publish your work.
Thanks!

<p>8 year old instructable.... still giving, and going strong. Thank you! :-)</p>

Thanks for the comment

<p>Thanks a lot very simple,</p>

<p>Got here from a quick google search. Didn't really read through all instructable, just the first image was enough. Thanks!</p>

<p>A simple and accurate way to find a right angle to any line is as follows : </p><p>- Take a divider (pair of compasses) and set it to a length greater than half the length of the line, it doesn't matter exactly how long as long as it is more than half, but you need to keep the divider set to the same length throughout. </p><p>- Set the point of the compass at one end of the line (in this case where the secant intersects with the circle and draw a circle.</p><p>-Repeat the process with the point set at the other end of the line so you now have two circles which intersect each other. </p><p>- Draw a straight line between the two points where the circles intersect, this will cross the original line at it's mid-point at 90 degrees to it. </p><p>This is generally a more accurate method than measuring the midpoint with a ruler and using a square to find the right angle and doesn't require any measurements or calculations. </p>

<p>My method too.</p>

Great ibble !!! I've been trying to remember how to do this for ages now I know. Thank you for adding this. I can now get my water pump sorted out now.

<p>Thank You. When I worked on the railroad we had tools and machines to do all that.</p><p>I had just made 57 2 inch round wood blocks and then couldn't figure how to find the centers. Thanks to this article I'll make a jig and drill them now.</p>

<p>you are awesome</p>

<p>Just used this. Thanks!</p>

Thanks to you and all the comments. Please. Take credit. I smacked my head and went, &quot;Of course,&quot; but didn't remember how to do this in spite of many math courses. And I brag that I do too use math in my daily life.

Thanks! Me and my grandpa are making a table for him because he wants one! I don't know why, but wateva!!!

a simpler method involves inscribing a right angle into the circle. the hypotenuse is a diameter, and then find the halfway point of the hypotenuse for the center

Or do it this way : <br> <br>1. Draw a square around the circle. <br>2. Draw a line from top-left to bottom-right corner of square. <br>3. Draw a line from top-right to bottom-left corner of square. <br>4. Where the lines cross is the center. <br>

I just got the biggest kick out of this it works perfecto.

Using this for locating pots in a project box!

your instructable is being applied as we speak, thanks ! ! !

In the first step, the line that you proposed was a chord, is technically a "secant", not a "chord".

okey dokey. thanks for the technical correction.

Thank you so much for this helpful technique. I wish I was smart enough to figure this out on my own; I've been stressing about perfectly centered holes on a number of recent projects and didn't know how to find the center. Thanks again - a huge help!
clicclic

Thanks for the comments. I can't take credit for this though, as I'm sure it was drummed into my skull at school. I do try to think of things some people know as being so obvious they assume everybody must know it.

Well you put it here and it is something many will want to do.<br /> I am starting a project in which I will need the centers of some circles.<br /> I was going to do what you have done as part of my own instructable but now I will just give a link to this.<br /> Thanks<br />

fairly simple...=) <br/>

its so simple once you know it! thanks for sharing!

that is a cool way of finding the center.

thank you very much for your comment.

A clear Instructable.
If you use a tangent instead of a chord you automatically have the point from where to draw the perpendicular.